U.S. News ranks Duke Medical Center among nation's top hospitals

U.S. News has ranked Duke University Medical Center among the nation’s top hospitals in the publication’s 2013-14 hospital ranking.

Duke took the 12th spot nationally and was also rated in the top 10 in several specialties: cardiology, ophthalmology, pulmonology and urology.

U.S. News said it surveyed 10,000 specialists and “sifted through data for approximately 5,000 hospitals” to arrive at its conclusions. The ranking places Duke in such company as the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and the UCLA Medical Center.

The top-scoring hospital this year was the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, meriting 30 points. Duke scored 12 points.